“This is bulls***”: Kyle hits out on censoring of Pauline Hanson
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s has sparked more controversy, after she was censored for attempting to undermine Australia’s vaccine rollout on one of Sydney’s biggest radio shows.
Ms Hanson was sharing her anti-vaccination views on KIIS 106.5’s Kyle and Jackie O Show, when producers intervened and began censoring the audio mentioning vaccinating.
While Ms Hanson was describing why she was choosing not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, all the audience could hear was a drawn-out “bleep”.
The show is on a 30-second delay and has a censor to block any comments that can’t be verified live or that could cause trouble for the network.
When callers alerted him to the censoring, host Kyle Sandilands had a strong reaction when he found out the reason behind it.
“Can somebody tell me what’s being beeped out and why it’s being beeped out?”, Sandilands asked producers.
“Our censor is saying some of what Pauline is saying is not government approved,” one producer replied.
“We’re not a government show,” he said. “This is not the ABC.”
The same producer told Sandilands the show has to “be mindful of what we’re telling listeners”.
“Based on what?”, Sandilands queried.
“[Based on] the public health system and what they’re telling us,” they replied.
Sandilands then apologised to Ms Hanson, who said it wasn’t the first time she had been censored for her views on vaccinations.
“I’ve been censored also by Channel Nine and 2GB because they won’t have me on because of what I say,” Hanson explained.
“You can’t have a difference of opinion in this country anymore because they shut you down. So therefore you’re letting the authorities control what you say and think.
“I’m a member of parliament, surely I have a right to actually express my opinion.”
A spokeswoman for ARN, which represents the popular radio show, said the live to air censor “monitors all content and makes a decision on what is appropriate to be broadcast on air and be published in accordance with the station’s regulatory obligations”.
“Kyle and Jackie O don’t shy away from talking about the hot topics that matter to their audience,” the spokeswoman told news.com.au.
“KIIS1065 makes every effort to fairly represent the views of its guests but has an obligation to balance freedom of expression against expression of views that may be out of step with government health advice.
“We take our responsibilities very seriously, and appreciate that some views expressed by guests on the station may not always be shared by the wider community.”
ARN said the governing body for broadcast media, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, has a “focus on protecting the Australian public from misinformation about COVID-19 and information that is out of step with government advice.”
Pauline Hanson’s claim on the show that COVID-19 vaccines haven’t been tried and tested like those for diseases such as measles and mumps is unfounded.
According to National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance’s (NCIRS) AusVaxSafety surveillance initiative, 53.9 percent of Australians who have been vaccinated reported no adverse event, while 46.1 percent reported adverse side effects including fatigue, headaches, injection site pain, and muscle aches.
Image: Instagram